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FAQ

Who can compete in the Canadian Community Newspaper Awards (CCNAwards)?

The CCNAwards are open to general and sustaining members of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association who are in good standing as of December 31, 2014.
In addition, there is a separate division for Campus Newspapers, which is open to all newspapers serving post-secondary institutions across Canada.

How do I log into the online registration system?

The CCNAwards has teamed up with NewspaperToolbox to provide an online entry platform for this year’s competition allowing you to submit all your entry details and entries online. This online contest entry system is designed to make the process of entering contests quick and easy.

Once the competition has launched, there will be a link posted on the CCNA homepage directing entrants to the online site.

When is the entry deadline?

The final entry deadline for the 2015 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards is Friday, January 30, 2015.

Which circulation figure is used for entering classes in each category?

For non-daily community newspapers, Newspapers Canada uses the latest audited or sworn average total circulation figure for your edition of record as of December 1, 2014. Community daily newspapers that publish five or more times per week will automatically compete in the top circulation class for all categories. (To view your circulation figures in our searchable database, click here.)

CCNAwards personnel will ensure that all entries are submitted in the correct classes.

What forms of payment does Newspapers Canada accept?

CCNA accepts the following forms of payment: cheque or money order payable to CCNA; VISA or MasterCard. If you are paying by cheque or money order, please indicate the name of your newspaper so that it is readily identifiable by Newspapers Canada staff.

Limit of Number of Entries Per Category.

A maximum of three entries per member newspaper may be submitted into EACH of the following Premier Awards,Special Competitions and Campus Newspaper categories for the applicable circulation class:

Premier Awards:
Best News Story
Best Feature Story
Best Feature Series
Best Columnist
Best Reporter Initiative
Best Historical Story
Best Local Cartoon
Best Spot News Photo Coverage
Best Feature News Photo
Best Feature Photo
Best Sports Photo
Best Photo Essay
Best Photo Illustration

Special Competitions:
Best Environmental Writing
Best Rural Reporting
Best Business Writing
Best Agricultural Story

Campus Newspapers:
Best Campus News Story
Best Campus Feature Story
Best Campus Photography

A maximum of one entry per member newspapers may be submitted into EACH of the following Premier Awards, Special Competitions and Campus Newspaper categories:

Premier Awards:
Best National Editorial
Best Local Editorial
Best Community Service
Best Headline Writing
Best Coverage of the Arts
Best Sports Coverage
Best Holiday Edition
Best Website
Best Multimedia Feature
Best Canadian Forces Base Newspaper

My newspaper must submit cheque requisitions to our corporate head office, and cheques usually take a few weeks to be issued. Can we send our entries to Newspapers Canada by the deadline, and then send the cheque later?

Ideally, we would prefer that payments be included with the entry package. If you are unable to have a corporate cheque issued before the deadline, Newspapers Canada accepts other forms of payment. Newspapers Canada accepts personal cheques, as well as money orders from banks or the post office. Newspapers Canada also accepts credit card payments directing through the online entry system. It is in your best interest to include your payment with your entry package. Unusual delays in sending payment may result in your entries being withheld from the competition and possibly disqualified.

My newspaper wishes to enter the Outstanding Columnist category. However, our selected columnist only publishes a column every other week. Can we still enter?

Yes. Send three consecutive columns whether they are weekly, biweekly, or monthly. Attach an explanatory letter from the editor or publisher, explaining the circumstances.

I would like to enter the Arts Coverage or Sports Coverage category. What do I submit?

The category definitions for Best Coverage of the Arts and Best Sports Coverage mention that 3 to 5 different works must be submitted. A work is defined as a single story, feature, editorial, stand-alone photo, or photo essay. If a story turns onto a second page, be sure to submit both tearsheets. Similarly, if you are submitting a photo essay, submit all tearsheets on which the photo essay was published.

A full arts section or sports section, or all pages of arts coverage or sports coverage from an issue, will be judged as multiple works.

The premise behind these categories is to showcase the best specific examples of arts and sports coverage in your community.

I would like to enter my newspaper in the General Excellence competition. Where do I send my entry?

All CCNA members must send their General Excellence entries directly to the Newspapers Canada office.

How does Newspapers Canada determine if my paper is eligible for the national General Excellence competition?

A paper will enter the competition directly through Newspapers Canada and be judged against all other national entrants within its circulation category. The circulation categories have been adjusted to offer fair judging.

What is a Blue Ribbon?

A Blue Ribbon award is given in the General Excellence division to any paper in the national competition that deserves recognition for excellence, as determined by the General Excellent judge(s). Recipients receive a certificate and a reproduction-quality logo that may be printed on the papers masthead or front page.

My paper is a sustaining member of CCNA. Are we eligible to enter all categories?

Yes. Sustaining members, including Canadian Forces Base Newspapers, may enter any category in the applicable circulation class, in the same manner as general members. The same entry fees apply for general and sustaining members.

How will I be able to remember which works we submitted?

New this year, all entries will be entered using our online entry system. This system will allow you to print off copies of all entries you submit. You should keep these copies in a handy location in your office so that you can readily refer to it when we announce the winners. Newspapers Canada is unable to keep track of the thousands of entries that are submitted each year, so it is up to you to maintain your records.

If a work was published in several papers, can each paper submit that work?

No. The paper with the highest weekly first-edition circulation may enter that work. Any duplicates may be disqualified by CCNA's Canadian Community Newspaper Awards staff, committee or judges at any time that they are discovered during the competition.

How can I become a judge?

You will need a colleague to nominate you as a judge. Your area(s) of expertise (e.g., editorial, advertising, etc.) must also be indicated. Past winners are also considered as potential judges. Please contact awards@newspaperscanada.ca for the judging nomination form or click here to download the form off our website.

I would like to sponsor an award. Who do I contact?

When will the winners be announced?

Effective in 2015, the final standings, consisting of the top three newspapers in all categories and classes, will be announced on Friday, March 27, 2015. They will be announced on this website and in Newspapers Canada's industry newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here.